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Mariners, Michael Mariot Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Mariners have signed right-handed pitcher Michael Mariot to a minor league contract, according to his transaction log on MLB.com. He has been assigned to the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers. Mariot, 35, was previously under contract with the Diablos Rojos del México of the Mexican League, but the Diablos Rojos released him earlier this week, presumably to allow him to sign with the Mariners.

The Royals selected Mariot in the eighth round of the 2010 draft, and he made his MLB debut with Kansas City in 2014. From 2016 to ’18, he played in the Phillies, Padres, and, once again, Royals organizations. After the Royals released him in August 2018, the righty spent time in the Atlantic League, the Mexican League, and the American Association before making his way back to affiliated ball. Between 2021 and ’22, he spent time in the Reds, Nationals, Phillies, and Tigers organizations before jetting off to Taiwan to join the CTBC Brothers of the Chinese Professional Baseball League.

His league-switching continued the following year. Mariot signed with the Cleburne Railroaders of the American Association in May before the Reds purchased his contract that summer. In September 2023, he made his first big league appearance since 2016, going 2 2/3 innings against Seattle, giving up one run on four hits. Perhaps the Mariners saw something they liked that day. 

Although Mariot has not had much lasting success with any league or at any level throughout his professional career, he has clearly demonstrated a willingness to pitch – traveling the world to do so. This year, Mariot will eat innings for the Rainiers for as long as they need him to, and he offers the Mariners a serviceable option for a spot start or long-relief appearance.

Dodgers Select Nabil Crismatt, Transfer Emmet Sheehan To 60-Day IL

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The Dodgers have selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Nabil Crismatt, the team announced. Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic was the first to report the move. Crismatt will join the team in time for today’s game against the Cardinals. In corresponding moves, right-handed pitcher Kyle Hurt has been optioned, while fellow righty Emmet Sheehan has been transferred to the 60-day injured list, opening up a spot on the 40-man roster.

Crismatt, 29, is quite familiar with the NL West. After making his MLB debut with the Cardinals in 2020, he made 102 appearances for the Padres from 2021-23, in addition to one appearance for the Diamondbacks last August. The Dodgers will be his third NL West team in the past 10 months. Although he struggled in 2023, ultimately getting designated for assignment by both San Diego and Arizona, he was a capable low-leverage relief arm in 2021 and ’22. Over those two seasons, he threw 148 2/3 innings in 95 games with a 3.39 ERA and 3.69 SIERA. He rarely blew the ball past opposing hitters, instead relying on a changeup-heavy approach to maintain a low walk rate and induce groundballs.

The righty got off to a poor start in 2023. His velocity was down and his command was spotty; he gave up five walks and 12 runs in 10 innings of work. Three weeks into the season, a hip strain put him out of commission for the next two months, after which he struggled to get back to the majors. Crismatt made just two more big league appearances, one for the Padres in June and one for D-backs two months later. Meanwhile, his Triple-A numbers were unsightly. He posted a 6.94 ERA and 8.06 FIP in 11 2/3 innings in the Padres organization and a 6.85 ERA and 6.04 FIP in 47 1/3 innings with the Diamondbacks’ Triple-A affiliate.

Despite his rough season in 2023, Crismatt is only one year removed from a healthy and productive campaign. Not yet 30 years old, it isn’t so far-fetched to think he could re-discover that form in 2024. Although he struggled this spring (8.44 ERA in 5 /13 IP), the Dodgers seem to think he has something to offer their big league bullpen.

Crismatt is out of options, so once he is officially selected, the Dodgers must keep him on the 26-man roster, trade him, or expose him to waivers.

Hurt, 25, is widely considered one of the Dodgers’ top pitching prospects. He threw 2 2/3 innings against the Cardinals on Saturday, facing 10 batters, striking out three, walking none, and giving up an unearned run. Despite his successful outing, he was likely optioned to give manager Dave Roberts a fresh arm in the bullpen.

Sheehan, 24, missed spring training with what was originally described as shoulder soreness, as well as some general bodily discomfort. However, when the Dodgers placed Sheehan on the 10-day IL ahead of the Seoul Series, they described his injury as forearm inflammation. Today, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports that Sheehan’s transfer to the 60-day IL is related to his sore shoulder. This is another setback for the young hurler. In mid-March, Dave Roberts suggested that Sheehan could be ready by stateside Opening Day. On March 24, Ardaya reported that Sheehan would still need “a full spring’s worth of buildup” before he could rejoin the Dodgers. Now, the earliest the righty can return is May 18.

Sheehan made 13 appearances (11 starts) last season, pitching to a 4.92 ERA, 4.41 SIERA, and an impressive 3.50 xERA. If the Dodgers have no room in the rotation when he is ready to return, he could be optioned to Triple-A, where he only made three appearances last season, or he could be a candidate to join the bullpen. His high velocity might play up out of the ’pen, and he could fill a similar role to Crismatt, albeit with a much higher ceiling.

Injury Notes: Lodolo, Cabrera, Garrett, Perez, Means, Bradish

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Nick Lodolo looked sharp today in the first of two planned Triple-A rehab starts.  The Reds southpaw allowed one run in five innings and 77 pitches of work, while striking out eight and allowing two hits and three walks.  After missing most of the 2023 season due to a stress reaction in his left tibia, Lodolo was still feeling some leg soreness this spring, so the Reds started him on the 15-day injured list in order to better ease Lodolo’s path back to action.  Assuming he is feeling healthy after today’s outing and his next rehab start, Lodolo is slated to make his season debut for the Reds on April 10.

More on other pitchers working towards getting healthy….

  • Edward Cabrera also began the season on the 15-day IL, as the Marlins righty was sidelined with an impingement in his throwing shoulder.  As noted by MLB.com, Cabrera threw 39 pitches in a intrasquad scrimmage game earlier this week and a 20-pitch bullpen session on Friday, so the next step is a minor league rehab assignment that begins with a Triple-A start today.  It isn’t yet known how many rehab outings Cabrera might need before he is activated, though of the Marlins’ multiple injured starters, he appears closest to a return.  Braxton Garrett is slated to throw a bullpen session today as he works his way back from his own shoulder impingement, and Garrett intends to be back in action before the end of April.  El Extra Base’s Daniel Alvarez-Montes (X link) notes that Eury Perez threw 20 pitches in a bullpen session today, with Perez on the road to recovery after being waylaid by elbow soreness in Spring Training.
  • While rehab starts are about getting comfortable and working out pitches rather than pure results, John Means had a shaky showing in first rehab start today with Triple-A Norfolk.  The Baltimore Sun’s Matt Weyrich was among those to relay the news that Means gave up seven runs on six hits and a walk over the 32-pitch outing.  Orioles manager Brandon Hyde told MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko and other reporters yesterday that Means’ is “going to be close to 30 days” in Norfolk, as in the maximum length for rehab assignments.  Means missed almost all of the 2022 and 2023 seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery, and the O’s didn’t include him on their playoff roster due to what was reported as elbow soreness at the time.  As Kubatko notes, the Orioles are now referring to the injury as a left forearm strain, which only adds to the extreme caution Means and the O’s are taking in slowly ramping up the southpaw’s workload.
  • A sprain in Kyle Bradish’s right UCL created concerns that Bradish might also miss an extended amount of time, but the Orioles right-hander seems to be making good progress as he is also taking a careful approach to his rehab.  As relayed to Kubatko and other media, Bradish threw all of his pitches over a 35-pitch bullpen session yesterday.  While he “feels really good” in the aftermath of this bullpen, Bradish and Hyde didn’t commit to any kind of timeline about when Bradish will start building towards a return to the active roster.

A’s Claim Tyler Nevin Off Waivers, Designate Adrian Martinez

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The Athletics have claimed Tyler Nevin off waivers, as per an announcement from both the A’s and Orioles.  Oakland has designated right-hander Adrian Martinez for assignment to create roster space.  Baltimore designated Nevin, Ryan McKenna and Nick Maton for assignment in the lead-up to Opening Day, and McKenna and Maton have both cleared waivers and have been outrighted to the Orioles’ Triple-A club.

Nevin will now head to a new organization after spending the last few seasons with the Orioles and Tigers.  Baltimore acquired Nevin from the Rockies in 2020, and he made his MLB debut in 2021 and appeared in 64 games for the Orioles in 2021-22.  Detroit picked up Nevin in a deal during the 2022-23 offseason, and the Orioles then brought him back in another trade last January.  Even with Baltimore’s wealth of young infielders and the presence of Ramon Urias and Jorge Mateo, the O’s still looked to add some more experienced utility depth, though Tony Kemp ended up taking that role rather than Nevin, Maton, or minor league signing Kolten Wong.

Nevin has a modest .203/.310/.301 slash line over 313 plate appearances in the majors, as his ability to handle both corner infield and corner outfield positions has been more valuable than his bat in garnering more time on big-league rosters.  He has hit quite well at the Triple-A level of the last two seasons, and as a former first-round pick (38th overall by the Rockies in 2015), there might still be some hope that Nevin can unlock more at the plate as he approaches his 27th birthday.

Seth Brown, Lawrence Butler, and Ryan Noda are all left-handed regulars in the Athletics lineup, so Nevin might fit as a right-handed hitting complement at first base or as a corner outfielder.  The rebuilding A’s figure to prioritize playing time for most of their younger players, but Nevin can provide some experienced depth if the Athletics want to give any of their youngsters (perhaps Darell Hernaiz) more regular playing time at Triple-A.

Martinez has a 5.51 ERA in 112 2/3 career MLB innings, all with Oakland in 2022-23.  Martinez worked as a starter in 2022 but was used primarily in relief last year, though the role change didn’t lead to any uptick in his uninspiring strikeout or walk rates.  Acquired from the Padres as part of the Sean Manaea trade almost exactly two years ago, Martinez’s big league numbers are actually better than his 6.19 ERA in 173 innings of Triple-A ball, as Pacific Coast League batters mashed 39 homers off Martinez in the hitter-friendly environment.

Cardinals Place Riley O’Brien On 15-Day IL Due To Flexor Strain

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The Cardinals placed right-hander Riley O’Brien on the 15-day injured list, as O’Brien is dealing with a flexor strain in his right forearm.  Left-hander John King was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding transaction.

The ominous-sounding nature of the injury suggests that O’Brien could be in danger of a season-threatening surgery.  Even if the strain can be managed with just rest and a normal rehab schedule rather than any kind of procedure, O’Brien is still likely looking at an absence of well beyond the 15-day minimum.  The righty has made one appearance this season, tossing an inning of relief in the Cardinals’ season-opening 7-1 loss to the Dodgers.

O’Brien has now made exactly one appearance in each of his three MLB seasons, counting his previous cups of coffee with the Reds in 2021 and Mariners in 2022.  An eighth-round pick for the Rays in the 2017 draft, O’Brien spent much of his minor league career as a starter before turning to full-time bullpen work in 2022.  With an ugly 7.03 ERA over 39 2/3 Triple-A innings in 2022, the transition wasn’t exactly smooth for O’Brien, yet he significantly turned things around with Seattle’s Triple-A affiliate last season.  The right-hander posted a 2.29 ERA, 57.1% grounder rate, and a 37.7% strikeout rate in 55 innings in Tacoma, and only a 13.6% walk rate marred that otherwise sterling performance.

The Mariners weren’t moved enough to give O’Brien any time on the active roster last year, and they ended up trading him to St. Louis in early November for just cash considerations.  A minuscule 0.90 ERA over 10 Spring Training innings helped O’Brien win a spot on the Cardinals’ Opening Day roster, but it will likely be some time before he is able to return to the mound.

Giants Designate Joey Bart For Assignment

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The Giants have designated catcher Joey Bart for assignment, thus creating 26-man and 40-man roster space for Daulton Jefferies, whose contract selection was reported yesterday.

The move likely marks the end of Bart’s time in San Francisco, which began with great fanfare when the Giants selected the backstop with the second overall pick of the 2018 draft.  Widely considered a top-tier prospect coming out of Georgia Tech, getting drafted by the Giants added another layer of expectation onto Bart since he was now viewed as the heir apparent to franchise legend Buster Posey.

Bart continued to place in top-100 prospect rankings as recently as 2022, yet after posting solid numbers in his first two pro seasons, the catcher was promoted to the majors in 2020 without any Triple-A time.  The lack of a minor league season in 2020 obviously kept Bart from any more minor league seasoning, but even though the Giants clearly liked what they saw of Bart at their alternate training site, he didn’t look ready for the Show while hitting .233/.288/.320 over his first 111 MLB plate appearances.

Posey’s decision to opt out of the 2020 season left a hole for the Giants at the catching position, but he returned with spectacular numbers in 2021 in what ended up being the twelfth and final season of his Cooperstown-worthy career.  Bart played in only two games in the majors in 2021 but still couldn’t seize the job with Posey retired, as Bart hit .215/.296/.364 in 291 PA in 2022.  Injuries further hampered Bart in 2023 as he struggled to a .528 OPS over 95 PA in the majors, and Patrick Bailey’s ascension to the starting catcher role essentially served as the writing on the wall for Bart’s chances of sticking in San Francisco.

Trade speculation has followed Bart for well over a year, though since Bart is now out of minor league options, teams might have been waiting to force the Giants’ hand with a DFA rather than work out a trade.  It doesn’t seem likely that Bart will pass through waivers without a claim, and it’s possible he might not even end up far outside San Francisco — NBC Sports Bay Area’s Taylor Wirth reports that the Athletics are among the many teams who have scouted Bart.

Now 27 years old, Bart has a career .219/.288/.335 slash line over 503 PA in the Show, and a .274/.357/.434 slash over 554 Triple-A plate appearances.  Those minor league numbers are actually a little underwhelming, considering how Bart played in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.  Bart has also struck out 28.34% of the time in Triple-A, as he has yet to figure out how to make either consistent contact or quality contact against even minor league pitching, let alone MLB hurlers.

With this in mind, it is far from certain that Bart might enjoy a post-hype breakout with a change of scenery.  Simply sticking as a big league regular would be a good outcome given how inconsistent Bart’s pro career has been, but given his prospect pedigree, he’ll certainly get some kind of opportunity from one of the many teams in need of catching depth.

Orioles Place Cionel Perez On 15-Day IL Due To Oblique Strain

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The Orioles have placed southpaw Cionel Perez on the 15-day injured list due to a right oblique strain.  Right-hander Jonathan Heasley was called up from Triple-A to take Perez’s spot in the bullpen.

Perez faced only two batters during an appearance in yesterday’s 13-4 Orioles win over the Angels.  The lefty allowed a triple and a single before being removed with that was initially described as back discomfort, though the designation of an oblique strain creates more uncertainty about when Perez might be able to return.  Unless Perez has a very mild strain, oblique issues usually sideline players for at least 3-4 weeks, and often longer if the strains are of the Grade 2 category or higher.

Danny Coulombe and Keegan Akin are the other left-handed options in Baltimore’s pen, so the O’s should be able to manage the balance until Perez is able to return.  Coulombe is ticketed for more higher-leverage work in general, leaving Akin as the current top choice for perhaps more specialized work against left-handed batters.  Nick Vespi and Matt Krook are both on the 40-man roster and could be recalled if the Orioles feel more southpaw depth is required.

After posting a 6.04 ERA over his first 50 2/3 innings in the majors, Perez unexpected broke out after joining the O’s in 2022.  The lefty delivered a 1.40 ERA over 57 2/3 frames that season, even if his 3.48 SIERA was perhaps a better reflection of his overall performance.  Some regression hit in the form of a 3.54 ERA in 53 1/3 innings for Perez in 2023, and both his strikeout and walk rates were rather unimpressive.

Perez is a grounder specialist (54.7% career groundball rate) who has held left-handed batters to a .207/.305/.304 slash line during his time in the majors.  Perez has seemingly erased the home run problems that plagued him earlier in his career, as he has allowed just four homers over 111 innings with the Orioles.  He avoided arbitration with the club this winter by agreeing to a $1.2MM salary for 2024, and the O’s also hold a $2.2MM club option on his services for 2025.

Diamondbacks Sign Kevin Newman To New Minors Contract

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TODAY: Newman re-signed with the Diamondbacks on a new minors deal, and was in the lineup for Triple-A Reno yesterday.

MARCH 27: Infielder Kevin Newman opted out of his minor league contract with the Diamondbacks, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. He’s now a free agent and free to sign with any club in need of some infield depth.

Newman, 30, spent the 2023 season with the Reds and posted a .253/.311/.364 batting line in 253 plate appearances while shortstop, second base and third base. He’s spent the other five seasons of his career with the Pirates, who selected him 19th overall back in 2015. He had  the look of a potential big league regular back in 2019 when he hit .308/.353/.446 in 130 games, but that’s the only productive season of the former top prospect’s big league career to date. On the whole, he’s a .259/.304/.358 hitter who’s drawn mixed reviews for his glovework at shortstop and moved more into a utility role in recent seasons.

Those may be unappealing numbers overall, but the right-handed-hitting Newman is a solid .279/.336/.395 hitter against lefties to this point in his career. Paired with above-average speed and some defensive versatility, that could be enough to garner interest for clubs seeking some right-handed infield depth to round out their bench (or to stash in the upper minors).

On paper, there was a potential path to a bench spot for Newman in Arizona. Eugenio Suarez, Geraldo Perdomo and Ketel Marte are lined up at third base, shortstop and second base, respectively, but the bench options are more suspect. Veteran Jace Peterson has an infield/outfield role locked down because of his on-base skills, defense at third base, and his contract. Newman could’ve been a right-handed complement to the lefty-swinging Peterson, but it seems the Snakes will stick with out-of-options Emmanuel Rivera and perhaps prospect Blaze Alexander instead.

Phillies Place Luis Ortiz On 15-Day Injured List

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The Phillies announced that right-hander Luis Ortiz has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a left ankle sprain.  Righty Nick Nelson was called up to take Ortiz’s spot on the active roster.

The injury compounded a tough day on the mound for Ortiz Saturday, as he was charged with two earned runs over two-third of an inning in Philadelphia’s 12-4 loss to the Braves.  Ortiz appeared to hurt his ankle while attempting a fielding play in the fifth inning, and though he returned to the mound in the top of the sixth, he was pulled after allowing singles to the first two batters faced.

While the severity of the sprain isn’t yet known, it isn’t a great sign that Ortiz is immediately heading to the IL, rather than the common practice of taking a day or two to monitor swelling.  It could be that the Phillies recognized that Ortiz would be delaying the inevitable in waiting to go on the injured list, and sidelining him now also allows the team to get a fresh arm into the bullpen.  The Phils’ relief corps has already seen a lot of work over a pair of lopsided losses to Atlanta in Philadelphia’s first two games.

Ortiz is in his second season with the Phillies, and posted a 3.32 ERA over 19 relief innings for the club in 2023 despite a lot of roster shuffling in the form of numerous trips back and forth from Triple-A.  Prior to last season, Ortiz had thrown only 14 1/3 total big league frames sprinkled across three seasons with the Orioles and Giants from 2018-22, and he didn’t pitch in the majors at all in 2020 or 2021.  The Rangers selected Ortiz 30th overall in the 2014 draft, and he drew some top-100 prospect attention during his time in the minors.

Marlins Select Vladimir Gutierrez

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TODAY: The Marlins officially announced that Gutierrez’s contract has been selected, and that Cronin has been optioned to Triple-A.

MARCH 30: The Marlins will select the contract of right-hander Vladimir Gutierrez prior to Sunday’s game against the Pirates, reports Francys Romero. Miami has an open spot on the 40-man roster, so only a 26-man roster move will be necessary. Daniel Alvarez Montes of El Extra Base reports that the Fish will likely option righty Declan Cronin to Triple-A Jacksonville in Gutierrez’s place, noting that Cronin was packing up his locker following today’s game.

Now 28 years old, Gutierrez was a high-profile prospect back in 2016 after defecting from his native Cuba. The Reds signed him to a $4.75MM bonus and paid a 100% tax on that bonus under the old soft-capped international amateur free agency system.

That $9.5MM investment didn’t pan out as hoped. Gutierrez made it to the big leagues in 2021-22, pitching 150 2/3 innings with a 5.44 ERA, 17.3% strikeout rate and 10.4% walk rate. His heater sat 93.3 mph during that two-year stint, and he paired it with a slider, curveball and changeup. All of Gutierrez’s second pitches were touted as potential plus offerings on various scouting reports (FanGraphs, Baseball America, MLB.com), but he’s yet to find consistency with any of them. His curveball and changeup, in particular, have been hit hard by big league opponents.

Gutierrez underwent Tommy John surgery in the summer of 2022, all but ending his time on the mound with the Reds organization. He returned to throw 6 1/3 minor league frames late in the 2023 season and became a minor league free agent in the offseason.

Gutierrez drew a fair bit of interest on minor league deals as he showcased for MLB clubs to demonstrate his health post-surgery. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given Miami’s proximity to Cuba, he ultimately chose to sign with the Fish back in February. He had a decent showing in spring training, holding opponents to four runs on a dozen hits and four walks with nine punchouts in 10 innings of work.

The Marlins and Pirates went to 12 innings in their season opener, with the Marlins’ bullpen accounting for seven of those frames. AJ Puk last just two innings on Friday, leaving Miami relievers to pick up another seven innings of work. Ryan Weathers went four frames today, giving the relief corps another five innings to pick up. Given that huge slate of innings for Miami relievers, it’s only natural that they’re bringing up a fresh arm — particularly one that can provide some length, if needed.

Cronin’s demotion to Jacksonville is a tough pill for him to swallow. The journeyman righty made his first Opening Day roster this season and has pitched well, firing four innings (including the final three in that 12-inning contest) without allowing an earned run. But between that three-inning debut and another 22 pitches in today’s inning of work, he’d surely have been unavailable tomorrow, making him the most logical candidate to be sent down. He’ll have to be in Jacksonville for 10 days unless he’s recalled as an injury replacement. But considering the fact that he made the Opening Day roster and has thus far pitched well, Cronin stands a good chance of returning to the big leagues before too long.

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